F1 links: James Allen on BBC’s F1 plans

James Allen on BBC's coverage: "Because of the way the F1 TV package is sold to sponsors I imagine that the world feed will still be the dominant element in the split screen, on which you will be able to watch these other features. I’d be very surprised if you could watch on-boards full screen, for example."

"The former Formula One triple world champion is keen to cling on to his lucrative contract despite RBS being about to axe 30,000 jobs and announce losses of £28billion, the biggest in UK corporate history."

"Could Bernie Ecclestone's insistence that the Australian Grand Prix start as late as possible to enable European fans to indulge in an extra hour's shuteye on race day morning, thereby increasing TV rating, be costing Melbourne's taxpayers an additional AUS$10m (£4.5m) in expected losses?" (subscription required)

16 comments on “F1 links: James Allen on BBC’s F1 plans”

Very selfish of Stewart to keep his pay that high. What does he actually do for them? Go around the world talking them up? I’ll do that for travel expenses if it’ll save 30,000 jobs. He surely doesn’t need the money any way.

I don’t agree – just because there’s a recession on doesn’t mean highly paid people should automatically forfeit their jobs. Unless they’re the ones responsible for it, in which case we’re talking about people higher up the RBS pecking order than Jackie Stewart.

i dont think he should lose his job purely because he is highly paid, i think he should lose his job because in the grand scheme of things he is being paid an obscene amount of money for doing a fairly unnecessary job, especially given the financial climate. at least take a pay cut.

It’s a glorified name for sales marketing for very rich people and (particularly) companies, in order to convince them to use RBS for their financial services. He also acts as a link between those people/companies and RBS to help negotiations (the richer the client, the pickier he/she/it tends to be).

Even though Tony Texiera flatters himself and his A1 series, saying F1 is just copying A1, at least he doesn’t kid himself that the drivers in A1 are probably seeking an F1 drive, and that it can be a feeder series.

Typical of James Allen to get bitchy with the BBC coverage since hes not part of the team……
Perhaps its time for Jackie to move on from RBS and seriously think about taking over from Mad Max (or Bernie?)
Are the Melbourne taxpayers getting cheaper tickets since they are already paying for the whole race weekend?
And Id like an A1 team to come to F1, thats a great way to bring new talent in, why isn’t there a Flavio led GP2 team?

So can we be expecting to see an A1F1 team come 2011, with two of the best drivers from A1GP in the hot seats? Sounds interesting. I’m sure they wouldn’t have too much trouble getting a rear-end from Ferrari.

I don’t think it is fair to bash Stewart for his contract. It would be pretty noble of him to accept a paycut, but a contract is a contract. I read a good point somewhere, if RBS were doing really well would Jackie Stewart be able to receive more money? Of course not, they’d laugh in his face. They should have negiotated a worst case scenario before the contract was made.

Keith, I don’t think he should lose his job but how can he justify not taking a pay cut? It’s not like he was asked to because company profits were down a bit this year, it’s because without some people taking a cut lots of people are going to lose their jobs. And those are going to be people who *need* their jobs. Unlike Stewart.

In a recession it’s *never* the highly paid that lose their jobs, it’s the people who depend on their jobs to live that lose.